


Untitled

by gayleydefault



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Homestuck, Super Dangan Ronpa 2, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Killing Game (Dangan Ronpa), Angst, Canonical Character Death, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Group chat yaaay, Hajime is always anxious btw, Homophobia, Its actually mutual, Love Confessions, M/M, Mentions of Cancer, Oh and there will definitely be angst, Okay so not only is hajime american but hes also texan, Pining, Platonic Relationships, Slow Burn, Yakuza, Yeah hajime was neglected, hajime is american, his classmates are good and pure, i didnt come up with the texan hajime idea, im sorry???, no beta we die like men, skype???, the big gay, this is a mess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2020-07-19 04:02:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 18,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19967716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gayleydefault/pseuds/gayleydefault
Summary: Okay so, your name is Hajime Hinata. Your brother is Izuru Kamakura. He's like six years older than you, and from your mom's first marriage. Obviously, she split with the guy, but he got custody over Izuru, seeing as he was uh... Actually a good parent. They stayed in Japan while your mom immediately got married again and moved to America with him. And in America, you we're born. In a boring town, in a boring state, in a racist country.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Im so sorry if yall are reading this mess but i hope y'all enjoy???

"All 16 of you will be pitted against each other! You're rivals, now get to killing!"

Suspicious looks were traded. Glares passed around like a bottle of beer at an American high school party. Any bit of trust we'd gained for each other shattered and scattered in the wind, buried in the sand and floating in the ocean waves.

Screaming. Blood. Bodies, stab wounds, hanging, slit throat, roasted alive, and lies. Lies. A black and white bear, and pink and white bunny, a pink haired girl. She looks familiar.

Death. Death. Death death death death death deathdeathdeathdeathdeathdeath-

You bolt up in bed, sweat dripping from your face and hitting your chest. It's hot. The blanket is kicked off and you're left sitting in your boxers.

These nightmares start the same sometimes. With that damned black and white bear. With that weird white haired kid standing over you on a beach. But the guy you always catch yourself thinking about... You don't remember his name, but his looks. God his looks. He's beautiful, and you wish you could meet him-

Then there's a knock on your bedroom door.

"Hey, Hajime, are you okay?" Came my brother's voice.

The door slowly opened and the hall light flooded into the room. Izuru was outlined by it.

"You look terrified, dude..."

He moved fully into the room and closed the door behind himself while you leaned over and turned on your lamp.

"You're pale. You can't get sick now, tommorow is your first day at a new school..."

"No I'm not sick. It's okay. I just had a nightmare."

Izuru doesn't seem convinced, but he does get up.

"Put some pants on." He tells you.

"Why?"

"And a shirt I guess."

"Izuru, what-"

"We're going to the store."

"Izuru it's midnight."

"And McDonald's."

"Izuru-"

"Get dressed. Dumbass."

And you do. You're really confused, and not sure what's the point of going to a store and a McDonald's at midnight, but sometimes a person just has to roll with it. You'll be tired as hell in the morning, but that's a problem for yourself tomorrow.

You pull on some basketball shorts and a t-shirt, slip on some sandals, and rub your eyes. God hates you. Why do you always scream when you're having a nightmare.

And then you're sitting in Izuru's car. You're currently at a red light, Radical Face is playing quietly in the background. Hm, Reminders is one of your favorites. Lifts your mood a little. You kinda wanna turn it up, but then again it's midnight. So scratch that.

Okay so, your name is Hajime Hinata. Your brother is Izuru Kamakura. He's like six years older than you, and from your mom's first marriage. Obviously, she split with the guy, but he got custody over Izuru, seeing as he was uh... Actually a good parent. They stayed in Japan while your mom immediately got married again and moved to America with him. And in America, you we're born. In a boring town, in a boring state, in a racist country. Pretty racist and homophobic state too. No wonder you never came out. Dallas royally sucked too. You wonder how Keith and Dave are doing.

Okay nevermind how Keith and Dave are doing.

Well, since you're living with your brother in Japan, something obviously happened. See, your parents worked in the same place. Probably not the best idea. But it happens. They died in a shooting. Someone came in... And just... Shot everyone on the first floor. Your parents were unlucky enough to be doing work on that floor that day. You were never particularly close to them, but... Losing them both at once was pretty painful.

Then out of nowhere you have an older half brother and you think he's cool. He's your legal guardian now. All of that paperwork took six months, but here you are, in a car in Japan on the way to McDonald's. And you have school tomorrow. You're only 16.

Izuru's dad died literally the moment you had unpacked your very last box a month ago. You thought he was a pretty cool guy and had gotten very close to him in the short amount of time you knew him. He'd been fighting with cancer for years now, and the cancer finally won. Izuru is still pretty torn up, but won't show it because he's more worried about you.

"Alright, come on."

When did you guys get to the store, holy shit. Inside the store was a single cashier. He looks familiar.

"Hey Makoto. Don't you have school tomorrow?" Izuru asked him.

"Oh uh. Yeah. But no one else was able to work tonight so... Here I am." The boy chuckled. "This is your brother, right?"

"Yeah. Hajime, this is Makoto. You'll be going to school with him."

"H-hi..." You nervously greet him.

He's pretty cute. With his little baby face.

"You guys might wanna hurry though. The boss doesn't wanna keep me too long, so we'll close early." He said. "And early as in... Like five minutes."

"Shit, really? Alright. Go get some shit Hajime."

"What?"

"You heard me. Go get snacks and drinks. It'll be for you."

"Are you sure? M-mom never bought anything for me-"

"Sorry, but mom was shitty. Now go on."

You nod and head off. You get Pringles, some of those lil snack cakes, like, the brownies with the m&ms. Are those m&ms? Maybe. Oooh, zebra cakes? Hell yeah. And drinks... All you want is orange juice, really. Fun fact, you really love orange juice. Your friend Dave hates you for that and will forever stand by his claim that apple juice is superior. Of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but Dave's opinion is horribly wrong.

So, you grab your OJ-after glaring at the apple juice for thirty seconds-and head back to the counter where your brother is waiting.

"That's all? You don't want any drink besides... Orange juice? Is that all you drink?"

"Um-"

"Don't bully your brother, Izuru."

"Okay, okay!"

"Makoto, I'm here."

"Oh, Kyoko! I-I told you that you didn't need to come-"

"Well, I'm here. You really think I'd let you walk home?"

"Right... Sorry, lemme just ring you guys up..."  
  
And after, you were introduced to Kyoko. She's Makoto's girlfriend. So he's straight. Oh well. They're real cute together, so you don't mind. And they seem super happy.

Next up, McDonald's. It was just next to the store, so you guys put the stuff in the car and walked over. Inside was a worker who looked... Super dead inside. He didn't seem jazzed to be working. Wait, you know this white haired guy. He's the one standing over you in your dreams.

"Ugh... Why him..."

So, Izuru knows him.

"Oh, oh! Izuru! Hey, what's up?! Who's this?"

"Stop acting like we're friends, Komaeda, please. This is my little brother. Ugh. What do you want, kid?"

"Just... Fries... Please..."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Alright. A large fry."

Minutes later, you're handed a large fry and you head back to the car.

"So who was he?" You ask.

"Gross. An ex... I am ashamed to say that I dated him in high school. He was uh. Not pleasant. At all. I hate him. And now he works at the McDonald's that I frequent."

"Yikes."

A phone started ringing and then you heard Dave's voice telling you to "PICK UP YOUR FUCKING PHONE ASSHOLE." So you did.

"Dave?" You ask as you answer.

"Oh, you're awake! Isn't it like... Midnight? What the fuck-"

"Well you called me. What?"

"Oh yeah! So, you remember that cuban boy Keith was always pining after?"

"Lance, yes. Why?"

"I just walked past a fucking Denny's and saw them sitting together in a booth. A fucking booth, man! Like, only couples and groups of friends sit at booths!" He scoffed and you can tell he flipped his hair. "I'll let you know when I actually see them holding hands."

"Is that really why you called me at midnight?" You ask, shoving a fry into your mouth.

"Kinda. Also wanna know how you're holding up. Why are you awake?"

"I had a nightmare so.. Izuru took me to McDonald's."

"Cool, cool. McDonald's sucks."

"You suck."

"Yes, but only the finest of di-"

"Ew, Dave!" You laugh. "Nasty."

"Hey, you don't get to call me nasty when I walked in on you and that Japanese exchange student making out."

"You promised not to bring that up!" You whine.

"Oh, kind of like you promised not to bring up how you walked in on me while Karkat was balls deep in my ass, yeah? And then you kind of blurted it out while i was on a skype call with my sister and our friends?"

Karkat is Dave's boyfriend. You absolutely walked in on them having sex because you and Dave had plans already and you were going to include Karkat because he was visiting from Michigan and you didn't want to be rude. Since you and Dave hang out a lot-you grew up together and you're practically brothers- you just walked in. Dave really should have texted you that he was busy. Dave is still salty.

"Jesus, Hajime. Out your friends, huh?" Izuru laughs.

"Oh shit, he can hear me?"

"Yep. His phone is pretty loud."

"Goddammit. Did I just out you to your brother?"

"No he knew. It's okay." You assure him.

"Alright, good. How's Japan?"

"Eh. I'm starting school tomorrow."

"Oooooh. Show me pictures of cute boys. I wanna help hook you up-"

"Dave no. We aren't doing that." You cut him off with a sigh.

"But why not? I could message Nepeta. She's all about this shit, bro."

Oh god. Not her, please... She's a weird girl from California. Her parents were real big on unique names. Her older sisters name is Meulin. She likes to play matchmaker. You have a feeling she's the reason why a lot of couples at your old high school were together. She's a dear friend, but you don't want her advice.

"You better not."

"I'm adding her to the call. Too late."

"Dave-"

"Hi Dave, hi Hajime! What's up?"

"Hey Nep, Hajime is gonna need our help." The little asshole greets her. "He's starting school tomorrow, so he'll need your expertise in finding cute guys that are wearing boyfriend material."

"Boyfriend material? Oh my god." Your brother groans.

"Oh, was that Hajime's brother? Hello!"

"Uh, hi."

The asshole is enjoying your pain.

"Anyway, we're looking for a boyfriend for Hajime?"

"No! God, Dave's just being weird. Look, you two. I uh, gotta go. You know, I have school tomorrow?"

"Right! Yea, okay." Nepeta giggled.

"Kay. Bye bro. Find yourself and cute boy!"

The line goes dead and you let out a loud groan. Of course Izuru thinks it's hilarious and starts to laugh.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting into class was the easy part. Getting to know some of the kids wasn't as easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So i recently went to a con and ot was fun ig. I got some drv3 rat boy merch and i love it lmao

So, you couldn't get back to sleep last night after you and Izuru got back home. That sucked. But he made coffee in the morning so you drank some with your breakfast instead of orange juice. You put... A lot of sugar in it. Like, a lot. You should have enough energy until lunch. 

The school was nearby, so you walked. You met up with Makoto on the way. 

"Hajime! Hey!" A voice called behind you. 

You stopped and turned and there he was.

"Oh, Makoto, hey." You smile. "How'd you sleep?" 

"Eh. Kinda not at all. The neighbors dog kept barking. You?" 

"Nope. Drank a lot of coffee though. All should be fine." 

You both laugh and you're startled when there's a hand on your shoulder. It's Kyoko. 

"Oh, hey!" You sigh in relief. "You spooked me." 

"My apologies. Might I squeeze between you and Makoto?" 

"Oh, sure." 

You move to the right and she places herself between you and Makoto and... Is she blushing...? Aw. She still gets shy. Makoto is all smiles and giggles now, holding her hand and kissing her cheek. They're precious and need to be protected. You'd kill a bitch for them. 

Getting into class was the easy part. Getting to know some of the kids wasn't as easy.

So first, Makoto and Kyoko took you to the office. There, you received your homeroom teachers name, room number, a map of the school and a real shitty complementary ink pen. You know it won't work but you shove the pen into your bag anyway.

The moment you walked into class, you recognized everyone from your dreams.

Especially him. 

His hair was black and white and styled differently than in your dream. It was in a small ponytail instead of styled into a sort of spike. He wore the purple scarf as always and had the golden earring too. No scar on the left side of his face. Oh wow, okay he looks a lot better in real life. 

Someone clears their throat and you looked behind yourself to see a small blond boy. You decide not to mention his baby face to anyone ever in your entire life lest you go missing and are completely forgotten about because you're intimidated by the girl with silver braids and red eyes who came in behind him. 

"Look, baby gangsta is here!" A tan girl with brown hair laughed. 

Immediately, a girl with lots of colorful streaks in her hair gasped and ran over to him. Hello 2009, does she listen to Black Veil Brides and Blink 182? 

"Baby face!" She said, squishing his cheeks between her hands. 

Well, they must all be close. The silver haired girl giggles and the small blond boy breaks away from the others, and spins around so he isn't facing them. Which... Puts him facing you now. STOP STARING THE SILVER HAIRED GIRL MIGHT KILL YOU.

"Hey, are ya waitin' for the teacher?" A voice asked. 

And suddenly there was a flash of pink in front of you. 

"Y-yeah." You nod, backing away from the sudden pink blob and see that it's a boy with pink hair and pink eyes to match. Even without his black beanie, you recognize him from your dreams. 

"Name's Kazuichi Souda. The teacher actually isn't here today, but there's an empty seat over here by me, Gundham, and Chiaki. Come on!" 

Kazuichi Souda. Nice. Okay, he's precious so far. You like him. Kinda reminds you of Dave. 

You should tell him your name.

"M-my name is Hajime Hinata, by the way."

"The American, right? Makoto actually stopped by and told some of us about you. How ya likin' sunrise land so far?" He chuckles. 

"Well... I haven't gotten to sightseeing yet. I spent most of my time here so far just moving in with my brother and getting to know the area where I live now." You shrug. 

"Here's your seat." He points to the chair. 

Oh you're sitting behind the hot boy. 

"Well, I solemnly swear that Chiaki and I will take you sightseeing one day!" 

"... Huh?" The girl behind you looks up. "Me too? But Kazuichi-" 

"Nope, you too!" 

You turn to see that the girl has pink hair and... Well, you can't actually see her eyes. She's playing a Nintendo switch, and that's probably Legend of Zelda she's playing. 

"Dude, have you been staring at Sidon for the past five minutes?" Kazuichi asks, getting up to go look. "You so have, nerd! Sexy shark men aren't all there is to that game!" 

"Hey, I do the same thing when Sidon is on screen." You laugh. "Sometimes, it's not about the journey, but the sexy shark men you meet along the way."

"The new guy gets it. But I wasn't really just staring at him, I was trying to think of a way to get some stuff I need in the game to get past the Lynel..." 

"I just made some food that raised my ability to sneak and wished for the best." You tell her, "You can do that-" 

"No way! I take this very seriously!" 

She then went back to her game and you turn back to Kazuichi. 

"Yeah, she's a serious gamer. If anything, she'll get past it and then post a tutorial online to help others. Uh, this is Gundham. Gundham be nice and say hi." 

The boy in front of you turns around and you almost choke on nothing. You're so close to him you're definitely gonna be blushing. 

"My name is Gundham Tanaka. Nice to meet you." 

"H-Hajime Hinata. Nice to meet you as well." 

"Gundham, you're scarin' him!" Kazuichi laughs. "Gundham is kinda intimidating."

"Hello everyone!" 

Everyone turns and you see a pretty blonde girl standing at the door waving. 

"Miss Sonia!" Kazuichi waves back. 

"Hello Kazuichi." She walks over and sits in the seat in front of him. "Who is this?" 

"Hajime Hinata. He's the kid from America." 

"Oh, a fellow foreigner! My name is Sonia Nevermind, I am European. A noble from a rather small country." 

"Whoa. That's like. Really cool." 

She's practically a fucking princess. You are very intimidated. 

"But Sonia, aren't you a princess...?" Chiaki asks from behind you. 

"Ch-Chiaki, I was trying not to intimidate him!" Sonia whined. 

"Uh... I was already intimidated..." 

"Oh... I-I am very sorry..." 

"Anyways... So the little blond guy? His name is Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu. Pigtail braids is Peko Pekoyama. Miss 2009 over there is Ibuki Mioda and next to her is Akane Owari-"

He was cut off by the door slamming open and then- 

"I JUST TOOK THE BIGGEST SHIT."

"That's Nekomaru Nidai. He... Well... Yeah. The little blonde girl there is Hiyoko Saionji. The red haired girl is her girlfriend, Mahiru Koizumi. There's Teruteru Hanamura over there with Mikan Tsumiki. They're actually great friends. I guess Ryota isn't here today... But, yeah, that's everyone!" 

And since the homeroom teacher was absent, homeroom was hell. Pure. Fucking. Hell. 

Any class after homeroom was actually nice, and then at lunch, Izuru brought you food. Kazuichi and Chiaki tagged along, Chiaki not by choice... 

"Hajime, hey." Izuru greets you guys with a smile. "You made friends, wow! Dave and Nepeta have competition. These two look fun." 

"Yeah. Actually he kinda reminds me of Dave." You chuckle. "Uh, this is Kazuichi Souda and Chiaki Nanami. Guys, this is my brother, Izuru Kamakura. Ask me any questions you may have later, please." 

"See, this is literally what Dave and Nepeta were talking about! Find a-" 

"No, stop!" 

"American names are weird..." Kazuichi mutters. "Nepeta...?" 

"Right? Believe me, she doesn't have the weirdest name." 

"Great. Glad you two are getting along. You brought me food, right?" 

"Yep. McDonald's, sorry. I know you didn't bring any food. You're lucky I love you, bro. I forced myself to see Komaeda again to get you this. It's just a bunch of chicken nuggets and fries though." 

"That's fine. Thanks!" 

"Course. Make more friends!" 

"No promises!" 

As the three of you walk away, you're attacked by Kazuichi's questions immediately. 

When school is done, you get a call from Keith, who is hanging out with Dave. 

"Hey!" They both shout as soon as you answer. 

"Hey guys. So school was fun. Met the cute guy from my dreams, literally." 

"You mean the guy with black and white hair up in a spike? He exists?!" Dave gasps. "Dude, you gotta get that! It's meant to be!" 

"N-no! I refuse! Besides, I'm pretty sure he doesn't care that I exist." 

"Aw, Hajime-" 

"Dave, shut up. Anyways, what about your classmates? How is it?" 

"So, literally I recognize each and every one of them from my dreams. It's super crazy. Cute guy sits in front of me, and behind me is the most... Nonchalant girl ever. She plays a lot of video games and was literally playing Breath of the Wild when I walked in. Next to me is Kazuichi Souda. Reminds me of you, Dave. Sitting in front of him is literally a European princess. Her name is Sonia Nevermind. She's... Precious." 

"There's a fucking princess in your class? What the hell." Keith laughs. "Japan sounds fun." 

"Yeah, speaking of! My brother is talking about taking a trip to Japan for Thanksgiving break, and Keith and I are really trying to convince him to bring us both and also go to the part of Japan where you now live." 

"Whoa, really? That's-" 

"Hajime!" 

A car stops next to you and suddenly there's Makoto and Kyoko. 

"Oh, Makoto. Hey!" 

"Sorry, are you busy-" 

"Just talking with my friends from America. Did you guys need something?"

"Kyoko wanted to know if you need a ride home? It's kinda dangerous around here after school..." 

"It's fine, we'll walk him." 

Oh and there's the little baby faced blond boy and the silver haired girl with red eyes. 

"This is my clan's territory. I'll be damned if a kid attending my school gets hurt. Don't worry, okay Makoto?" 

"Alright. Keep him safe!" 

"We shall." The girl slightly bowed. 

So you decide that this is actually really weird and tell your friends you'll talk to them later and hang up. What did he mean that this is his clan's territory? Oh god is he part of a gang? Makoto and Kyoko drive off and here you are with the two scariest people ever.

"Sorry. Name's Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu. This is Peko Pekoyama. You're Hajime, yeah?" 

"Y-yeah. Um-" 

"Don't worry. I'm just making sure you're left alone. You're new so the folks around here won't know you. Can't have you getting hurt." 

"And he's American and you can tell that he's American." Peko sighs. 

"That too, I guess." 

It's mostly quiet while you walk. You're leading them to your house and you really feel unsafe doing that, but you have no choice. Izuru is just getting back as you walk up to the house and he is very shocked when he sees who you're with. 

"Uhhhh Hajime what is going on?" 

"Um... These are two more of my classmates..." 

"Two members of the Kuzuryuu Clan?" 

"You don't trust us, I get it." Fuyuhiko sighs. "Was just makin' sure he doesn't get hurt on the way home. Stay safe, Hajime." 

"Right. Thanks so much, guys." You bow to them as they leave and Izuru drags you inside. 

"Dude, what the fuck." 

"I don't know! I was gonna take a ride with Makoto and Kyoko because they offered but then they walked up and I'm pretty sure Makoto was scared."

So, eventful first day. You're pretty sure the two who walked you home are probably the heir to a Yakuza clan and his bodyguard. That's always fun. You really have to tell the group chat that one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me if theres any typos, kudos and comments r always nice


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He pulls you into a hug and while you're crying, you decide that it's time to tell him about your weird dreams. Once you stop crying.
> 
> "So... You knew I existed... Because of your dreams? You know like... Everyone here because of your dreams? Are you like... Seeing the future?" He laughs. 
> 
> You're sitting in the kitchen with a glass of orange juice in front of you. He took you down to the kitchen while you were still crying and got you some water to drink when you were done. Then you told him everything about your dreams. 
> 
> He doesn't seem to believe you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yea another chapter bc i absolutely have way too much free time so i just sit in one spot all day and write this. Also new title is serious pls help me give this a better name

_residentboomerang joined the chat_

_turntechgodhead joined the chat_

_koreanemo joined the chat_

_residentboomerang: GUYS GUYS HOLYYYY SHIT_

_koreanemo: What happened after you hung up?_

_ectobiologist joined the chat_

_arseniccatnip joined the chat_

_turntechgodhead: yea i was worried_

_ectobiologist: is this a bad time? is hajime ok?_

_residentboomerang: I WAS WALKED HOME BY 2 YAKUZA MEMBERS IS WHAT HAPPENED_

_arseniccatnip: HAJIME WE TOLD U TO MAKE FRIENDS AND FIND CUTE BOYS NOT GET MIXED UP WITH THE YAKUZA_

_turntechgodhead: jesus fuckin christ, hajime._

_ectobiologist: so i guess japan is a pretty wild experience_

_koreanemo: Whoa whoa. Hajime, are you okay? They didn't like hurt you, right?_

_residentboomerang: HOLD ON LEMME GET MY LAPTOP AND WE CAN MOVE OVER TO SKYPE_

_residentboomerang has left the chat_

You rush to your desk and snatch your laptop up, powering it on and the clicking on Skype as soon as you can. You go to your Skype group chat and click the video call button. Seconds later, Dave's face pops up along with Keith's, Nepeta's, John's and Rose's.

"I only just read the messages. Hajime, are you alright?" Rose speaks immediately.

"I mean like... I'm fine but that was scary! I was walked home by the fucking Japanese mafia! They know where I live now!"

"Okay after a few calls... I have confirmed that their only intention was to keep you safe since you're new- oh." Suddenly your brother is standing in your room. "Sorry I didn't know you were on Skype."

"It's fine. But seriously? They just... Wanted to keep me safe? That's weird."

"Hey listen, when the mafia wants to keep you safe you don't reject their kind offer of protection!" Dave shouts. "Just befriend the yakuza and maybe they'll help you out."

"Yeah, or ask him and Izuru for favors, dumbass." Keith smacks him. "Just try to stay away from them. Any kind of gang is pretty nasty business."

"But they're in my class! I can't just ignore the friggin' yakuza kids in my class!"

"I meam you can but I doubt it would end well." Rose shrug.

There's a beep and then Jade Harley is also in the call.

"Hajime whoa. I just got back from school. What's this about the yakuza? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Thank you for worrying Jade."

"Oh, thank god." She sighs.

You guys stay on Skype for a few hours, just talking.

"Hajime, do you wanna order take out?" Izuru calls up the stairs.

All your life it's been take out, fast food, a trip to the pizzeria on your own because your parents don't actually care. Um. That was depressing. At least Izuru is trying and is actually having conversations with you.

"Sorry. Gotta go, guys."

"Bye Hajime!"

You hang up the call and head downstairs.

"Uh, yeah. Sure."

"Cool. Come on. Let's look at some places online then decide."

That night, you have another dream. Gundham is in it. Sonia is there, Chiaki, Kazuichi as well. You're all crying, Nekomaru is dead, apparently Gundham killed him.

Your heart hurts. Like it's being ripped apart and then you're watching Gundham get dragged away and you know what's going to happen. It's happened in your dreams before but never to him. You've never watched him die before and you don't want to watch him die.

He says something to you, but you can't hear it. There's a loud ringing and-

Once again, you shoot up in bed and Izuru is rushing in just as you do.

"Hajime, hey." He sits on the edge of your bed. "What's wrong?"

"Izuru... Izuru!" You sniffle and then the tears pour out and you can't stop it.

He pulls you into a hug and while you're crying, you decide that it's time to tell him about your weird dreams. Once you stop crying.

"So... You knew I existed... Because of your dreams? You know like... Everyone here because of your dreams? Are you like... Seeing the future?" He laughs.

You're sitting in the kitchen with a glass of orange juice in front of you. He took you down to the kitchen while you were still crying and got you some water to drink when you were done. Then you told him everything about your dreams.

He doesn't seem to believe you.

"Not exactly um... I didn't really think anyone from my dreams existed. So it was weird to see that Nagito guy and also Makoto and Kyoko because they were in my dreams too." You say, sipping your juice. "It's been making me a little uncomfortable."

"I see... So uh... What happened the past few nights and tonight?"

"I don't really remember much from the other nights but... Tonight... Gundham almost died..."

"Gundham, he's uh. In your class, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"So are like... Everyone else kn you dream?"

"Not everyone. There was this blonde girl that I've never seen. She's not in my class. Nagito isn't in my class and neither is Makoto or Kyoko. So..."

"It's like you just dreamed up everyone you're gonna meet here. I say keep your eyes peeled."

After a bit more talking, and after downing your orange juice, you both go back to your rooms. You get back to sleep pretty easily and don't dream the rest of the night.

In the morning, there's biscuits on the stove and a note from Izuru on the table. He had to leave early because there were some issues at his office. You still don't actually know what he does.

You eat two biscuits, drink some orange juice, and then run back upstairs to get dressed. Once you're dressed, you rush back downstairs to head to school. Obviously you aren't expecting a knock on the door.

When you open it, there's... Gundham?

"Hajime?" He asks, seeming shocked. "You live here? I thought this man-"

"Ah, yeah. He's my brother. D-did you need something? I can call him-"

"Oh, please? Um... And can I talk to him?"

You nod and pull out your phone, and click to call Izuru. He picks up quickly.

"What's up?" He asks.

"Uh, hold on."

You hand it to Gundham who nods and takes it.

"Excuse me, sir um... My parents recently received a kitten at their shelter who cannot be mixed with the other felines in the area and we cannot bring her home seeing as we've got two cats of our own. So... Would you be able to take her, if neither of you are allergic to cats, I mean. W-we just wanted to keep her close by and I remember you having strays come around that you would feed-" he cuts off as Izuru tells him something and he gets... Excited. That's adorable. "Yes thank you! I shall walk home with Hajime this afternoon and bring the kitten over then."

He hangs up and gives you back the phone, which you then stuff into your pocket.

"Well, I always wanted a cat." You shrug. "Hey, you wanna walk to school together?"

"I... Suppose."

"Alright. Just lemme get my bag, I'll be right back."

You leave him at the door and hear as he walks in and closes it behind himself. Up in your room, you calmly collect yourself in the mirror. So the guy you like lives next door, he's giving you guys a fucking cat, and he's in your house, you guys are gonna walk to school together. You have to tell Dave as soon as you can.

After one more deep breath, you snatch up your bag then head back downstairs where Gundham decided to stay by the door. He opens up the door and lets you out first and you swear he could hear your heart beating as you pass.

Your phone rings as you both set off to school and it's Keith, no Dave this time you hope.

"Sorry Gundham... Hey Keith, what's up?" You hum as you answer. Speaking in English of course, since you both speak it. You're... American, obviously.

"Dave won't leave me alone. He's worried after yesterday, so I told him I'd call you when it was morning for you."

"I'm fine. I'm walking to school with one of my classmates right now."

"Not the yakuza kid, right?"

"No, not the yakuza kid. It's uh..."

"Oh shit, it's the guy, isn't it?" He gasps. "Hajime-"

"Thank you for calling. Goodbye Keith." You say quickly and hang up. "Sorry. My friends back in America."

"That's alright. They must be longing for your company. I assume you spent a lot of time together."

"Yeah, we did. Uh, about yesterday, when Kazuichi introduced us..."

"Right. Apologies if I might have intimidated you. I tend to have that effect on people."

"N-no! It's fine, it wasn't you. It was really just the new surroundings and meeting so many new people. Gundham is a really cool name, by the way."

"Ah... Thank you."

The conversation dies down and surprisingly, so does the awkwardness. It's a comfortable silence. You like it. So does Gundham, it seems.

When you guys get to school, Kazuichi is at the front gate with the little yakuza guy in his arms. The silver haired girl is giggling and you're scared for Kazuichi's life.

"I have a question..." You mutter to Gundham.

"Yes?"

"Well... Fuyuhiko is part of the yakuza, yeah?"

"Correct."

"Then... Why is he attending a public school? And who is Peko?"

"He's been attending school with some of us since pre-school. He's always refused to go to a school run by his clan, and until middle school, he did it alone. Peko was being trained by his family to be able to protect him, and she tries to do her job, but Fuyuhiko refuses to let her. He just... Wants them both to be normal high school kids."

"Huh... That's... Sweet."

"He's actually pleasant to be around."

"HAJIME!" Kazuichi calls your name and drops Fuyuhiko. "COME HERE!"

You groan and look over at Gundham who chuckles and begins to steer you both towards the trio.

"Hi Kazuichi." You wave slightly.

"Hey so, I heard about Fuyuhiko and Peko walking you home yesterday. How was it?"

"Pretty awkward, honestly. It was nice of them, though."

"Course. You just moved here, I'm not about letting new folk, especially my classmates, get hurt."

"Oh uh... Thanks...?"

Class is pretty boring. The homeroom teacher was there, but nothing much happened. At lunch, you kinda just sat in your desk staring at nothing until your phone buzzed.

_turntechgodhead joined the chat_

_turntechgodhead: yo hajime, u busy?_

_residentboomerang joined the chat_

_residentboomerang: Nope. Its lunch. Not that I actually have any lunch, but somethin up?_

_turntechgodhead: keith told me that you walked to school with the hor guy_

_turntechgodhead: *hot_

_residentboomerang: Yeah whatever. I did. So?_

_turntechgodhead: soooo? whats he like? cool? he's gotta be cool, yeah? does he have a cool name?_

_residentboomerang: HIS NAME IS SO FUCKING COOL DUDE_

_residentboomerang: ITS FUCMING GUNDHAM_

_residentboomerang: G U N D H A M_

_turntechgodhead: whoa_

_turntechgodhead: thats like, top tier cool. damn._

You're in the middle of typing when someone clears their throat. You look uo and Gundham is standing there with that Teruteru guy. You turn off your phone and give them your full attention.

"We noticed you got no food!" Teruteru smiled. "Gundham was shy to ask, but I told him to bring this extra bin to you. Guy wouldn't come over 'less I came with."

Teruteru drops the bin gently on the desk and you flinch.

You're shocked. Genuinely shocked. You've never actually had homemade lunch for school before. Actually, it's pretty rare that you ever had lunch. You might cry. Oh no you're tearing up.

"Th... Thank you..." You mutter.

COME ON HAJIME YOU CAN'T CRY IN FRONT OF YOUR CLASSMATES.

Too late. You can't even stop the tears. This is sad.

"H-Hajime?" Gundham asks, he's worried. He sits in his seat in front of you and puts a hand gently on your desk.

"S-sorry! Sorry, um." You wipe your eyes and look up at him. "Th-thank you for worrying um. I'm just... I'm not used to having people I hardly know just... Worry about me. And I'm really not used to having lunch at school. Thanks, you guys. So much."

Teruteru smiles and pats your shoulder as he walks away and Kazuichi and Sonia come over, both worried.

"Hajime, are you alright?!" Sonia gasps. "Why are you crying?"

"I'm okay! Don't worry, I'm fine. I'm just really not used to so many nice people. I really think I'm going to like being in this class."

Ugh, sap. In the end, Sonia and Kazuichi both ended up crying too. They're both very sensitive people. You also feel like you might be getting lunch more often. It's nice.

At the end of the day, you also have Kazuichi, Sonia, Teruteru, and Gundham's phone numbers, along with the best feeling you've had in years. You and Gundham stop by a convenience store on the way home and get some snacks.

"So," You begin after you down half a bottle of water, "how did we both go a whole month without realizing we're neighbors?"

"Strange, isn't it? I'm not quite sure either, seeing as how I am nearly always in my backyard after school."

"Well, nevermind. That explains it. I tend to stay inside."

"Why?"

"I just... Don't like bein outside a lot... I was always forced to play outside as a kid when my parents didn't wanna deal with me. So I kinda grew to dislike it." You shrug.

"Well that's no good. Who would use the outdoors as a punishment?"

"My parents. They uh... They sucked."

You fell into another pleasant silence until you got to your houses.

"Follow me. We'll go get the kitten then head over to your house."

"Alright."

So you follow him. You can hear birds singing and a barking dog in the house as you pass by the side to get to the backyard. Back there is actually what seems to be a shed.

Come on. The grass won't bite." Gundham chuckles when he looks back and sees you hesitate.

You take a deep breath and walk after him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He shakes his head and you can feel your heart break. How come? Why?
> 
> "I... I always found it easier to remain solitary. I hadn't begun to open up to others until recently." 
> 
> "That must have been lonely..." 
> 
> "Yes. But... With help, I do think I can begin to open up to our other classmates."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .... I have no life guys. And i dont have a job yet.... And im not going to college when classes start bc i didnt enroll... So i just... Sit in various places of my house and... I write. Enjoy ig????

When he opens the door to the shed you see that it's actually not a shed at all, but what seems to be a small house. There's another door to the side that must be the bathroom, there's a bed, a small cooking area, and a TV.

"This is your room?!" You ask in disbelief.

"Ah, yes. My parents think it's important that I have my own space to do my own thing. 'My own thing' would be... Training four hamsters."

"You have hamsters!?"

"Yes. Their cage is there." He points to a table. "and runs all along this wall."

You both move into the room and to turn to see that they do in fact have little hamster tubes that run along the wall.

"Oh my god. Oh they're so cute!"

"Ah... I'm sure they would thank you, if they could speak. The kitten is over here."

You follow him to the corner of the room where there's a decently sized kennel and inside is a tiny kitten.

"Aw..."

"She's really small, but I think she actually might be about six months old. Do you want to hold her?"

"Uh, yeah."

He reaches in slightly, waiting for her to approach his hand, and when she does, he draws his hand back and she follows it out. She's a precious little kitten, no special colors, just a brown cat. She is, however, missing half an ear and her left eye.

"Oh, the poor baby..." You mutter, slowly reaching your hand out.

She sniffs at your hand then just... Places her little kitty chin in your palm. She's so cute you might just die here. And then she meows and paws at your leg.

"You can pick her up." Gundham tells you.

So you do, and she immediately snuggles against your neck. And you're crying again.

"Oh my god she's so cute." You sob.

"So those are, once again, happy tears?" He asks.

"Yes, absolutely."

You guys sit in his room for a good while, both of you on the floor by his bed. At some point, your phone buzzes and Gundham grabs it out of your bag for you.

_ectobiologist joined the chat_

_ectobiologist: hajime how was school?_

_residentboomerang: NEVERMIND SCHOOL I HAVE A CAT_

_arseniccatnip joined the chat_

_arseniccatnip: CAT?_

_carcinogeneticist joined the chat_

_carcinogeneticist: SHOW US THE CAT_

_residentboomerang sent a photo_

_arseniccatnip: BESTEST KITTY IN THE WHOLE WORLD_

_residentboomerang: RIGHT?? ALSO HI KARKAT_

_carcinogeneticist: HI HAJIME_

_gardengnostic joined the chat_

_gardengnostic: a kitty!_

_tentacletherapist joined the chat_

_tentacletherapist: She looks soft. Please tell her that I love her._

_residentboomerang: hi jade, hi rose. also i will_

_turntechgodhead joined the chat_

_turntechgodhead: shes an uwu soft baby_

_carcinogeneticist: dave im breaking up with you_

_turntechgodhead: ive made u an òwó angery boi_

_carcinogeneticist: shuT THE FUCK UP_

_residentboomerang: a lovers quarrel, so sad._

_tentacletherapist: ok google this is so sad, play mambo no. 5._

_arseniccatnip: LMAOOOOO_

_carcinogeneticist: WHY ARE YOU GUYS THE FUCKING SAME_

_arachnidsgrip joined the chat_

Huh, nice of Vriska to talk with you all for once.

_arachnidsgrip: a little bit of monica_

_ectobiologist: but what if its..._

_ectobiologist: ONLY monica?_

_carcinogeneticist has left the chat_

_turntechgodhead: WAIT NO KARKAT COME BACK._

You chuckle and put your phone to the side, looking back down at the kitten. Your face suddenly feels hot and you look at Gundham. He's just... Staring at you with a soft smile on his face.

Your face turns red and you squeak and look away.

"I-is there something wrong?" You ask.

"No it's just... You've been pretty... Well, depressed since I met you. And you seem so happy when you're talking with your American friends."

Oh. He's... Glad that you're happy?

"Y-yeah uh... I grew up with Dave and Keith and met the others all through the internet. We're all pretty close. Dave and Keith are like brothers to me."

"It must be nice... To be so close with someone."

"You aren't? You're seriously telling me you don't have any friends like that?"

He shakes his head and you can feel your heart break. How come? Why?

"I... I always found it easier to remain solitary. I hadn't begun to open up to others until recently."

"That must have been lonely..."

"Yes. But... With help, I do think I can begin to open up to our other classmates."

He smiles at you again and your heart is bursting and you honestly think he might be leaning in. Oh god he is. This is a moment. Maybe not an 'I love you' moment, or anything super romantic really, but something can definitely happen.

And then your phone rings. Based on the ringtone, it's Dave.

"S-sorry!" You gasp and turn to pick it up. "Dave, keep your voice down!"

"Sorry, you stopped responding in the group chat. Where are you?"

"The neighbor's house. Getting the cat. Calm down."

"Your neighbor gave you the cat? Who's the neighbor?" You hear him crunching on something, and it's getting on your nerves.

"You remember the names of some my classmates from when I was telling you guys yesterday, right?"

"Yeah. Oooh can I guess?"

"Sure...?"

"That Kazuichi guy, the one that makes you think of me?"

"No."

"Then... Maybe that princess Sonia chick?"

"Wrong."

"Gundham?"

"Yes. Anyway-"

"OH SHIT HE'S YOUR NEIGHBOR?"

"Oh my god. Goodbye Dave." You roll your eyes and hang up and when you look over, Gundham is across the room looking at his hamsters. "Uh, sorry about that."

"It's fine... Er... Would you like my assistance bringing the kitten's necessities to your house?"

"You wouldn't mind?"

"Of course not. In fact, it would be my pleasure."

So he helps you move everything over to your house. You both sit on the couch watching TV until Izuru gets back.

Except you aren't awake when he gets back. You fell asleep leaning on Gundham, and the kitten never moved from your lap. Izuru snaps a couple of pictures before taking pity and waking you.

You process nothing as you wake up. It's the best sleep you've had since you showed up in Japan, and good lord, you have a hard time actually waking up when you've slept well. You're comfortable and warm and for a second, you think that maybe you fell asleep against Izuru.

And then Gundham's speaking.

"H-Hajime...?"

"Hold on, Gundham. That may be uncomfortable, but wait a moment. I guess he had a really nice nap."

Then you shoot up and the kitten in your lap protests because you jostled her.

"S-sorry!" You mutter and look at your lap.

"N-no, it's alright. I didn't mind, save for when my arm went numb from you leaning on it." The other boy chuckles. "And anyways, rules are that it's illegal to move when there's an animal involved."

"Let me see the kitty." Izuru demands, like a small child. So you hand her to him and his face lights up. "She's so cute oh my gosh. What a perfect little angel."

"Hajime had the same reaction."

"Oh! Can I name her, Izuru? Please?" You beg. "I've never had a pet before!"

"Yeah, sure!"

You stare at the kitten for a long hard time. One eye. Half an ear missing.

"Eyepatch." You say.

Next to you, Gundham laughs.

"That's a perfectly ironic name." He tells you. "Eyepatch."

"I love it." Izuru adds.

After Gundham leaves, it's just you, Izuru, and the cat. She doesn't want to leave your arms and you're fine with that. Izuru asks if you want to get some food, but you aren't hungry, so you decline and go up to your room with the cat. You leave a crack in your bedroom door so she can leave if she wants, then you just strip down to your boxers and lay down on your bed.

You spent time with Gundham. You have a massive crush on him. But you don't feel happy, just... Sad.

Tonight, you cry yourself to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The four of you move to the kitchen with Eyepatch following and...
> 
> "You can kinda just... Dig around. I'd offer to cook something, but I don't know how." 
> 
> "It's okay. I can cook something." Chiaki speaks up. "My dad was always busy so me and my older brother always cooked together. I can make like pancakes or something." 
> 
> "Alright then. Go wild." 
> 
> Thirty minutes later Chiaki is at the stove making the fluffiest damn pancakes you have ever seen. She ended up sending Kazuichi to walk to a nearby store and buy some mix and other things she'd need. Ten minutes after, Izuru walks in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again... Im like never busy so heres another chapter. They talk about their families n shit at the end of this one.

The next morning, you find the kitten's litter box and food dish has been set up, likely by Izuru. There's no school today, so you sit on the couch and sign into Dave's Netflix account.

You're in the middle of watching Spiderman when there's a knock on the door. You don't get up. You want to relax. The person at the door wants the opposite and they keep knocking.

"Come on, Hajime! Let me in!"

Kazuichi? How did he get your address?

You groan and go answer it. The boy is standing there with Chiaki and Sonia.

"How did you guys get my address?"

"Well, not your address exactly. Just that you lived nextdoor to Gundham. Fuyuhiko told us." Kazuichi grins.

"Um... May we come in, Hajime?" Sonia asks.

"Oh, yeah. Come on." You step to the side to let them in and from the couch, Eyepatch meows loudly.

"You have a cat?!" Sonia gasps.

"Y-yeah. We got her from Gundham yesterday. Her name is Eyepatch."

The little kitten comes running over right as you close the door and Sonia leans down to pet her.

"She's adorable! Eyepatch is a fitting name."

"You guys can sit on the couch, if you want."

"Actually... I hate to ask but... Well, this visit was really quite a shock to me as well as it was to you, so I haven't had a chance to eat breakfast yet. May I-"

"Oh uh... Let's go to the kitchen then. I haven't eaten yet either so."

The four of you move to the kitchen with Eyepatch following and...

"You can kinda just... Dig around. I'd offer to cook something, but I don't know how."

"It's okay. I can cook something." Chiaki speaks up. "My dad was always busy so me and my older brother always cooked together. I can make like pancakes or something."

"Alright then. Go wild."

Thirty minutes later Chiaki is at the stove making the fluffiest damn pancakes you have ever seen. She ended up sending Kazuichi to walk to a nearby store and buy some mix and other things she'd need. Ten minutes after, Izuru walks in.

"Something smells good. What's up, Hajime?" He calls out.

"In the kitchen!"

He walks in and is pleasantly surprised to see that you have guests.

"Oh! Kazuichi and Chiaki, hi! And..."

"Oh! My name is Sonia Nevermind. It is a pleasure to meet you." She smiles.

"You as well. I'm Hajime's brother, Izuru Kamakura. Why're you making your friend cook, Hajime?" He jokes.

"Oh, no. I offered."

"I don't know how to cook, man."

"Of course your damn parents never taught you shit." He sighs. "What are you guys planning to do today?"

"More than likely, just hang out." Kazuichi replies. "Watch movies and stuff."

"Oh! Gundham lives just next door. Perhaps invite him over as well?" Sonia suggests.

"Oh, speaking of Gundham! Hajime, we're you guys really so tired that you both just crashed on the couch last night?"

"What? He was sleeping too?"

"Yeah. Scared the hell out of him when he woke up and saw me, though."

Aw sleeping Gundham... You blink and look away from your classmates as your face heats up.

"Hajime, you know it's okay if you like Gundham, right?" Chiaki says bluntly.

"Ch-Chiaki!" You whine and bury your face in your hands.

Sonia and Kazuichi both laugh.

"This is what you get for all the wrong you've done to Dave." Izuru snorts.

Speaking of Dave... Where's your phone?

"Hold on..." You rush upstairs and find it still on your nightstand. It's dead.

When you go to plug it in, the charger won't work. It's time to trash that poor wire then. You go downstairs.

"Hey, does anyone have an Android charger?" You ask hopefully.

"Oh, yeah!" Kazuichi says, digging in one of his pockets. "Here. Keep it if you gotta. I have so many more at home."

"You're a life saver man. Thank you!" You go snatch it from him then put your phone to charge in the living room, heading back to the kitchen after. "Sorry, I gotta charge it so I can message my friends back in America later."

After you've all eaten your pancakes-Chiaki even made pancakes for your brother-you all hang out in the kitchen for a bit longer while Izuru does the dishes.

You're all sitting on the couch watching Courage the Cowardly Dog when there's a knock on the front door. Izuru answers it.

"Oh, Gundham, hey! What's up?"

"...I-Is Hajime here...?"

"Yeah. Come on in."

"Thank you."

You turn to look at the door as Eyepatch jumps off of Chiaki's lap to meet Gundham at the door.

"Hello..." He smiles and picks her up. "A-ah. Some of our classmates are here as well."

"Yeah, Kazuichi invited them all." You tell him. "If you wanna come sit on the couch, I'll get up."

"No, it's fine. I'll just... Sit by your feet."

And he does. He's really warm. You all continue watching Courage as if Gundham was there the whole time. It felt like he was.

At some point, you lean over onto Kazuichi to get a bit more comfortable on the couch and Eyepatch moves to Kazuichi's lap. By your feet, Gundham also shifts and you can feel the girls scooting away from you all. Weird...

Then Netflix suddenly turns off and all of you sit up and lean forward to let out sounds of protest.

"Can someone go grab my phone?" You sigh.

Gundham nods and gets up to grab it then hands it to you when he walks back over. You wait for it to power on and type in your password as soon as you can. Your phone immediately floods with texts. You ignore most of them and navigate to Dave's contact so you can text him.

_H: yo dave whats up with Netflix?? I just got kicked off._

_D: i dunno. Kicked me and bro off too last night_

_H: huh. we were in the middle of watching courage the cowardly dog_

_D: yea i say just give Netflix a break. Hulu is doin good tho so_

_H: alright so its good if i use hulu?_

_D: yeah._

_H: thanks man_

_D: np_

You put your phone down and everyone gives you a hopeful look.

"Netflix is being weird. But Dave says Hulu is doing good so I guess we can watch Adventure Time?" You shrug.

"We don't have to watch anything." Sonia says. "We can talk. Learn more about each other!"

"Yeah. We're in Hajime's house and none of us know much about you, man!"

"Oh... Uh, what do you guys wanna know?" You ask, sitting up some more.

"Like... You don't have to answer our questions, but... Why did you come to Japan in the first place...?" Kazuichi hums. "What happened?"

"M-my parents um. Died... Seven months ago... I didn't even know Izuru existed til then."

"Oh no. I'm so sorry. How did they die?" Sonia gasps.

"A shooting. They worked in the same office building and both happened to be on the same floor the day of the shooting. I can't say I was super torn up about their deaths. I wasn't really close to either of them. But man, I was really excited to learn that I have a brother."

"I know. You constantly called me after you learned so that you could talk to me and learn more about me. It was cute, you were so happy."

You softly smile and your cheeks dust a light shade of pink.

"Because you actually cared about me, man! Mom was a piece of shit, as Izuru would say, and my dad hardly cared that I was there so I kinda clung to Dave and Keith's families."

"So Dave and Keith... They're your friends?" Chiaki pipes up.

"Yeah. Grew up with em. Mostly Dave. He used to feed the birds that were in the neighborhood. Crows and ravens. In Dave's words, he wanted a kick-ass animal sidekick and he thought birds were the most kick-ass. We met Keith when we started going to school. Kids were teasing him because he was adopted."

"That's horrible!"

"Yeah. He was adopted by gay men. Dave and I put a stop to that. Fun fact, Keith's parents and Dave's older brother bet on which of us would come out first because apparently we were all obviously super gay."

"You came out first, didn't you?" Izuru laughed.

"I sure did. None of them thought I would because of my parents. But even then, they said gay, which I am not."

"Oooh." Kazuichi shifted a bit. "You're obviously bi, though. Like, you radiate bisexuality."

"I radiate it, huh?" You laugh amd nudge him.

"Sure the hell do."

"What about you guys? I deserve to know about all of you, right?"

"Yeah!" Kazuichi sat up. "Okay so whaddya wanna know?"

"I wanna know about your families and stuff. You too, Gundham." You tap him with your foot. "I was at your house and learned next to nothing about you."

He seems startled that you're asking about him, but nods anyways.

"Kazuichi, go first."

"Okay so... It's really just me and my parents. We had a dog but he ran away. My parents are both mechanics, they own their own place, too! I plan to take it over one day!"

He's so proud, aw. You can see yourself being really good friends with him.

"You next, Miss Sonia."

"Well um... I don't... Really have any family... I live here alone, pretty much. I've got my own apartment, I pay my own bills, I buy and cook my own food, I do my own laundry. If I have any parents... Well, I don't know them."

Holy shit. That got really depressing really quick.

"S-Sonia..." You mutter and look at her.

"Excuse me? No. No no no. That's unacceptable." Izuru suddenly comes back in. "Sonia, I'm your big brother now. Come to us if you ever need anything, okay?"

She's startled, but smiles softly and nods.

"And if anything ever happens and you need a place to stay, we're here. You're always welcome, Sonia."

"I guess I'm next..." Chiaki sighs. "Well... I don't know anything about my mom, so I can't say much about her. For as long as I can remember, it's been dad, my older brother, me, and my little sister. We're all pretty tech savvy, save for my little sister."

As she finished speaking, you all looked at Gundham.

"My turn, I suppose... Well..." He clears his throat. "Yesterday, I uh... Said 'parents' when talking to Hajime, but truth is... It's only me and my mom. My dad walked out a few years ago because my mom chose her work over him. He tried to take me, but that would have meant losing my hamsters because he always hated them. He took the Pomeranian though. I miss the Pomeranian. Other than mom, my family is... Animals. Like my hamsters, the canaries, finches, cockatiels, and our beagle, Len. Mom um... Put me out in the little house in the backyard because... I remind her of my dad..."

He was still facing the TV, but you could feel his shoulders shaking. You knew he was crying. Sonia moved to the floor with him and held his face in her hands.

"It's okay, Gundham. We're here for you." She said softly.

"Yeah, like Sonia, you're welcome any time." You tell him. "Text or call me any time. Wherever I am, I'll make time for you."

"And if you need the rest of us too, we'll come runnin'." Kazuichi adds.

"Yeah, I'd hate for my friend to be sad." Chiaki says.

You all move to the floor to crowd around and hug him. You can feel the way his body relaxes at the touches. You know how he feels: loved. Like he finally has friends that he can go to when he needs help.

Of course, Sonia and Kazuichi end up crying as well, which causes you to start crying, and then Chiaki too. And even though you're all crying, it's nice. Though you miss your friends in America, being here, with these new friends... You wouldn't trade it for the world.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'm excited!" Kazuichi hummed, bouncing in his chair. 
> 
> "This will be fun!" Sonia nods. 
> 
> Chiaki makes a noise of agreement and you all look at Gundham. 
> 
> "I... I, um..." Suddenly, he's sniffling and trying to hold back tears, but you quickly go over and pull him into a hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gundham is so anxious. I have a soft spot for anxious Gundham.  
> Also things r startin to go down lmaooo

A few days later, you're all at Kazuichi's house when you get a call from Izuru asking for Kazuichi's address to bring something over. You give it to him and thirty minutes later, your friends all have a key to your house.

"Come by any time. Even if we aren't home. Our house is open if you just need somewhere to crash for a bit when your home life gets a bit too much and you need an escape." He tells them.

Sonia and Gundham start to cry again. You get it. It's nice to be so... Cared for.

You all walk to school together the next day, meeting up with Makoto along the way. He's surprised to see the friend group you've created.

"This is an interesting mix." He chuckles. "I never thought I'd see Chiaki hanging out with Gundham. You two have such different personalities."

"We all kinda... Bonded." Kazuichi shrugs. "I dunno, man."

"It's nice." Makoto continues. "It's really nice to see Gundham getting along with you guys."

"Makoto!" Kyoko calls from ahead somewhere.

"Sorry guys, gotta go."

And with that, he rushes off. The five of you get into class and Teruteru makes his way over as you sit down.

"Hajime, in case you have no lunch again, I made a bit too much so if you-"

"Yes please." You say before he can finish. "I will never turn down food."

Before you know it, it's November. You're all sitting at Chiaki's house playing video games when you get a call from Dave.

"Yeah?" You ask as you answer.

"Yo yo, Hajime, dude!" Dave practically shouts.

"Yes, what?!" You hiss, pulling the phone away from your ear slightly.

"Guess who's goin' to Japan over Thanksgiving!"

"No way." You gasp, sitting up. "Really? Keith too?"

"Yes! Keith too!" Keith's voice cuts in. "Im excited as hell!"

"You can introduce us to all of your cool friends!" Dave adds.

"Oh, dude, are those your American friends?" Kazuichi asks.

"Yeah!"

"I heard somethin' about comin" to Japan. For real?"

"Yeah, Dave and Keith are coming to Japan!"

The others all make equally excited noises and stop what they're doing.

"We can all hang out when they arrive!" Sonia clapped.

"Dude our flight is in two fuckin' days, I cannot wait." Dave shouts. "Keith, you gotta go home and pack, and I have to pack. We'll talk to you later Hajime!"

The line goes dead and then everyone in the room cheers.

"I'm excited!" Kazuichi hummed, bouncing in his chair.

"This will be fun!" Sonia nods.

Chiaki makes a noise of agreement and you all look at Gundham.

"I... I, um..." Suddenly, he's sniffling and trying to hold back tears, but you quickly go over and pull him into a hug.

"Gundham, what's wrong?" You ask him quietly.

"Th-they're people that you grew up with... I'm sure you're closer to them than us... A-and you'll only w-want to hang out with them-"

"Gundham, no!" You gasp and turn to look at him. "No, no, no! I want to hang out with all of you! I won't ditch anyone to hang out with someone else unless it's important."

After that, Gundham stayed away from you guys for a day. He needed his space and you guys were gonna give it to him. When he came back to you guys the day after, he seemed more sure of himself and of you and your friends.

You were all sitting in your seats at lunch when you got a text in the group chat.

_turntechgodhead joined the chat_

_turntechgodhead: HAJIMEEEEE_

_residentboomerang entered the chat_

_residentboomerang: yea?_

_turntechgodhead: YO DUDE WE'RE ABOUT TO GET ON THE FLIGHT. WE SHOULD BE ARRIVING TOMORROW MORNING._

_residentboomerang: NO SHIT, REALLY?_

_turntechgodhead: YEA. TELL UR KICKASS FRIENDS THAT THEY'LL GET TO MEET KICKASS AMERICANS SOON. IM LOOKING FORWARD TO MEETING THIS GUNDHAM GUY AND ALSO THAT KAZUICHI GUY_

_residentboomerang: YEAAAA BOOOOIII_

_residentboomerang left the chat_

You put your phone down and everyone else looks up at you.

"Hajime, is something wrong?" Sonia asks.

"No, but I was just talking to Dave. They're arriving tomorrow morning!" You tell them excitedly.

Even Gundham looks excited when you say that.

"And we don't have school tomorrow so we can all go meet them, right?!"

You turn to face Kazuichi and nod.

"I can ask Al if he's good with driving some of us." Chiaki says. "I'm sure Izuru's car won't be big enough."

"Shall we all get together at Hajime's house this afternoon?" Gundham asks.

"Yeah. We can talk about it then."

When you all arrive at your house that afternoon, you're all even more excited.

"Well, Al owns a... Uh... Sorta van thing. All I know is we can split. Some of us can ride with Izuru, the rest with Al." Chiaki says, putting her bag down near the door. "We just have to decide who will ride with who."

"I'll ride with my brother, of course."

"I... I would like to ride with Hajime, if that's alright..." Gundham mutters.

"Course."

"I shall ride with you as well!" Sonia smiles.

"So everyone else will be with me and Al?"

"Yep. We can talk to Izuru when he gets home."

And when he got home, he was excited to see your American friends too.

"Everyone can spend the night, if they want." Izuru said.

"It's not as if I will be missed at home..." Gundham says softly. "I can spend the night."

"As can I." Sonia nods.

"Gotta call my parents real quick..." Kazuichi huffs, pulling his phone out.

"Yeah. I've gotta call my dad."

They both go stand outside and while you all wait, you ask Gundham if he's alright staying over.

"You have your hamsters to care for. Are you sure?"

"I'm sure they would be the only ones to notice if I went missing from my house for a few days... But it's okay. I can give them an extra bit of food when I go to collect a change of clothes."

You feel bad for him. He seems to look up to his mom, but isn't sure how to approach her anymore.

Kazuichi and Chiaki walk back in smiling.

"So those are yeses?" Izuru asks.

They both nod.

"Great! So Hajime and Gundham will be staying here while I take the rest of you to get some clothes."

You all nod and then it's just you and Gundham.

"Wanna go get you some clothes?"

"Yeah..."

The two of you slip your shoes on then make your way nextdoor where the barking and birdsong start up again. Gundham flinches ahead of you and you move forward to brush your hand against his arm, which calms him. When you get into his room, his hamsters go crazy.

"They missed you." He chuckles. "They never do that when I walk in anymore. They really like you."

You walk over and stare at the closest hamster, a big fat brown one.

"They're so cute. What are their names?"

"The one you're staring at is Cham-P. I don't know how he got so fat, but he's still cute. Jum-P is the one sleeping over there, the mostly white one with the light brown. San-D is the other mostly white one, but she's got the darker brown. Maga-Z is the mostly light brown one." He tells you. "They're all very friendly, but the only one most likely to let someone other than me hold them is Cham-P. So... If you want to hold him, be careful."

"Okay."

You slowly open the cage and all four of the hamsters quickly rush over. You laugh and try to reach for only Cham-P, but San-D jumps up and runs up your arm.

"S-San-D!" Gundham gasps and rushes over.

You panic for a moment, until she just settles between your neck and shirt collar.

"Huh..." Gundham stops by your side. "She's... I suppose they really like you. My mother was only ever able to hold Cham-P, and so was a cousin who came over last year..."

"I'm glad they really like me." You laugh again. "They're really cute."

You gently grab San-D from where she settled and put her back into the cage, making sure you latch it back after.

"So, are you ready...?" You turn to Gundham.

But he's just staring at you again, a light blush on his cheeks.

"Are you sure you've never had a pet before Eyepatch? My hamsters seem very drawn to you."

"Well... I got a goldfish from a county fair a few years ago. Not sure if that really counts since it didn't live long... My dad got drunk, dumped beer in the fishbowl and... An hour later, the fish was dead."

He ponders this for a moment then looks away.

"I-I see... Well uh... I'm still looking for an outfit for tomorrow. You can sit on my bed and wait."

"Alright..."

You go sit down and just... Watch him as he moves around.

"Alright. I'm ready to go."

He's got a bag on his back and you're just caught up on how cute he looks. You have the biggest crush on him. Then he's standing in front of you waving a hand in front of your face.

"S-sorry!" You quickly stand, causing him to step back.

You both just stare at each other for a moment before Gundham quietly speaks.

"This may be... Weird but... C-can I... Um... Well... I've never... Um... Can you... Well I've got something to tell you but I uh... Um... F-feelings are difficult..."

You patiently wait and put a hand on his arm to encourage him.

"Well... Um... I-I... I l-like... Um... Aah..." He closes his eyes for a moment then opens them and takes a deep breath. "I-I l-like you a lot H-Hajime and I um... Felt like now... Would be a good time to tell you."

Oh, shit.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> residentboomerang: weeeelllll 
> 
> residentboomerang: Gundham has a boyfriend....
> 
> arseniccatnip: its u
> 
> arseniccatnip: OMG UR THE BOYFRIEND
> 
> turntechgodhead: YEEEEE GET IT HAJIME

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was trying to write so i could post last night but one of my dogs had a seizure so i stayed up like all night taking care of him. I kind just the end of this chapter out in like an hour and ive been forgetting to post it lmao but here yall go. My dog is ok btw

Oh shit. Oh wow. Holy fucking shit man. How are you gonna fucking respond to that?! You can't just ignore it, and obviously you feel the same way but like, wow.

"Sorry if that was very... Um... Forward... But I um... I've been having these dreams... And... You were in them... A lot."

Wait, what.

"And this may sound weird, but I've um... Had a crush on you since before I knew you because of these dreams and when I met you I just couldn't believe it because there's absolutely no way the gods could favor me enough to give me the actual guy that I have feelings for, right? Anyway, I hope this doesn't ruin our friendship-"

You cut him off by laughing and pulling him into a hug.

"Holy shit, dude!" You laugh, "Okay I am shocked, first of all. Because I actually do feel the same way for you. But also, I had dreams too? Even though they were mostly nightmares, but you were almost always in them. Your hair was way different though."

You decide to leave out the scar, though.

His mouth hangs open for a moment before hes laughing with you.

"Oh? Different how?" He asks.

"Like, it was all up in a weird spike. It looked good, though! You should totally style it that way."

"Hm. Maybe."

He grins and you kiss his cheek, then lay your head on his shoulder. You're really fucking happy right now and you can tell that he is too.

"So... Are we like um... B-b... Boy..."

You chuckle and pull away.

"If you wanna be boyfriends. We don't have to rush anything."

"But um... I would really like it... If we could... Be..."

"Alright. So would I."

You have to fucking tell Dave as soon as you fucking can.

You sappy morons spend another 10 minutes sitting on Gundham's bed just... Holding hands and looking at memes? That's... So cute. Stop being gross. At some point Gundham just leans over and rests his head on your shoulder. Ugh he's so cute.

And then Kazuichi just opens the door and you and Gundham jump away from each other.

"Ooooh. They were in here bein' gaaaay." He laughs.

Sonia and Chiaki also walk in and Gundham is really embarrassed and is hiding in his scarf.

"Guys!" You groan and pull Gundham back to you. "It's okay, they're our friends."

"B-but I... Ah..." He hides behind your shoulder and Sonia gasps.

"Are the two of you... Perhaps.. boyfriends?" She asks.

Gundham literally whines and sinks down to bury his face in your side. He's so cute...

"Yes!" His muffles voice groans.

"How cute!" She claps. "Kazuichi, I believe you owe me money."

"Damn. Chiaki too." He sighs. "I don't have any on me though-"

"You guys bet on this?!" You and Gundham exclaim.

"Yep. Obviously the girls won because I'm a fuckin' moron."

"We knew you two would get together. Sonia and I bet this year, Kazuichi bet next year." Chiaki explains. "It was obvious to us that you two liked each other."

You roll your eyes, but can't help but to laugh, causing Gundham to laugh too. In the end, you're all in Gundham's room laughing.

"We should head back though..." You huff, patting Gundham's arm. "You got your stuff?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Come on."

You all walk back to your house and Izuru is smirking.

"Soooo-"

"No. You and I can talk about it later. For now, what are we eating tonight?"

"Well, we can order takeout? Or go get some fast food." Izuru suggested.

"... C-can I cook...?" Gundham asks quietly.

"Uh, sure, if you want." Your brother shrugs. "I'm not sure what kind of ingredients we have, though."

"It's alright. I can find something."

So, Gundham is cooking. He asks you to go into the kitchen with him and you sit at the counter while he moves around the kitchen. It's too quiet, so you put on some music. Radical Face, of course. We're On Our Way played quietly through the kitchen. Gundham seemed to like it, so you just listened to the song.

_Yeah, tomorrow I might wake up nice and clean_

_And I might believe the things I said I didn't mean_

_And this might turn and wind up just the way we'd dreamed_

_And I might become the things I swore I'd always be_

  
The way you'd dreamed, huh? Well, a lot of things already have. You are now dating Gundham... There's not a whole lot of other things you want in the world.

Well, that's a lie. You know that even though Gundham puts on this face, you know he isn't really happy. And you know he won't tell his mom about you. If he even actually talks to her anymore.

You know he just wants a relationship with her and that he probably won't be happy until he does.

You know Chiaki and Kazuichi are content with their lives, but Sonia... Wants a family. And you guys can be her family. And you're pretty sure you all want to be her family.

You aren't sure how long you sat there contemplating how your friends feel about their lives, but suddenly Gundham's voice cuts through your thoughts.

"Hajime!"

You jump and look over at him.

"Sorry, I zoned out. Uh, what's up?"

"Your phone buzzed a few times. It might be important."

Shit man. You didn't notice and you're the one holding your phone. You raise your phone to your face to see that it's the group chat.

_residentboomerang joined the chat_

_residentboomerang: what's up?_

_carcinogeneticist: im just wondering where dave is. He hasn't texted me all day_

_residentboomerang: he didnt tell you?_

_residentboomerang: he's on a flight rn_

_turntechgodhead joined the chat_

_turntechgodhead: whaddup sorry_

_turntechgodhead: ive been sleeping for like..._

_turntechgodhead: hours. Keith is still sleeping._

_turntechgodhead sent a photo_

_residentboomerang: aww_

_turntechgodhead: and bro has just been like... idk glaring out the window???_

_ectobiologist joined the chat_

_ectobiologist: hey guys! Whats up?_

_residentboomerang: OH SHIT YEAH BTW_

_residentboomerang: GUESS WHAT_

_turntechgodhead: did u kiss Gundham_

_turntechgodhead: i bet u did_

_ectobiologist: dave you cant just pester hajime about private stuff like that!_

_residentboomerang: idk it can lead to kissing_

_turntechgodhead: no fucking way_

_turntechgodhead: @arseniccatnip_

_turntechgodhead: NEPETA HURRY_

_arseniccatnip joined the chat_

_arseniccatnip: ????_

_turntechgodhead: TELL US HAJIME_

_residentboomerang: weeeelllll_

_residentboomerang: Gundham has a boyfriend...._

_arseniccatnip: its u_

_arseniccatnip: OMG UR THE BOYFRIEND_

_turntechgodhead: YEEEEE GET IT HAJIME_

_carcinogeneticist left the chat:_

_ectobiologist: you chased Karkat away_

_turntechgodhead: i woke up keith_

_koreanemo joined the chat_

_koreanemo: ou my god_

_koreanemo: *oh_

_koreanemo: welk dave, fsrewll to us, hajime has a boyfriend_

_koreanemo: *well *farewell_

_turntechgodhead: so many lonely days ahead of us_

_ectobiologist: but dont you guys both have boyfriends too?_

_koreanemo: shyt ip_

_koreanemo: fuck_

_koreanemo: *shut *up_

_koreanemo: yall know how it be. o just woke uo, excuse the typos_

_residentboomerang: u guys r terrible lmao_

_residentboomerang: but also Gundham is at my house rn_

_turntechgodhead: :0_

_koreanemo: HAJIME U NAUGHTY BOY_

_residentboomerang: IT'S NIT JUST GUNDHAM AKSJAJJD_

_turntechgodhead: u crazy kids have fun_

_residentboomerang: we should just leave u at the fucking airport_

_turntechgodhead: oh yea hajime is our ride oop_

_residentboomerang left the chat_

You chuckle and put your phone down then look at up at Gundham.

"That was Dave and Keith?" He asks.

"Yeah, and some of our other friends. They're really excited to meet you."

"... Just me...?"

"W-well um... I actually talk about you the most so... Yeah..."

Oh that's embarrassing to admit. His face is red now and he isn't wearing his scarf so he can't hide behind it. Whoa, when did he take off his scarf and jacket?

"I-I um... Have one family member that I'm still close to... She and I text a lot and um... I would ask her advice on how to get close with you..." He says softly.

OH THAT'S SO CUTE.

"I hope that's not weird..."

"No, of course not! Actually, uh... My friend Nepeta drew a picture of me and you."

Yeah, she did. You've told them what Gundham looks like so many times, and she's never actually seen a picture of him, but damn, it was spot on. It's actually your phone wallpaper. It's you and Gundham holding hands but you're sitting back to back. You're smiling and Gundham is hiding behind his scarf. You didn't tell her he does that when he's nervous. She just thought it would be cute. She was, of course, correct.

"What? Has she seen pictures of me?"

"Nope. She only had an idea of what you looked like because of my dreams. I'd tell them each time I had a dream." You shrug. "She did a pretty good job despite having never seen you."

"Can I... See it...?"

"Sure!"

You don't wanna be weird and just show him the wallpaper, so you open your gallery and find it.

"Whoa... Okay, yeah. That's super good! Did you... Tell her about the scarf thing that I do?"

"Nope again. She just thought it would be cute. She was right."

His face flushed red again and he moved away, burying his face in his shirt collar.

"See! You're super cute, even without your scarf."

"St-stop!" He whined. "Go back to the living room if all you're going to do is tease me!"

You laugh stay right where you are. He softly complained for a few more seconds before falling quiet with a soft smile on his face. He keeps cooking.

This is nice. You like this a lot. You've got a bunch of friends over, and your boyfriend. Your boyfriend!

Everything feels right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heres a link to the song btw. Yall should listen to radical face. Got some good ass music
> 
> https://youtu.be/jkIdyfwE0PY


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ive been s a d lately so i hadnt been writing, but when i wasn't being sad at home, i was being sad at my friends house and we'd play video games. Now im not as sad as ive been lmao anyways heres a chapter

You guys all slept in your room. Chiaki and Sonia slept on your bed while yourself, Gundham, and Kazuichi slept on the floor. You don't know what time it was, but you woke up crying sometime in the middle of the night.

Another nightmare.

"H-Hajime!" Sonia's voice cut through your panic.

Suddenly the light was on and all of your friends were staring at you. Next to you was Gundham, who pulled you close to himself.

"I believe he just had a nightmare." Gundham told them. "Was it one of those...?"

You nod and bury your face in his pajama shirt. His hold on you tightens and you just end up crying again.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Kazuichi asks. "We can listen."

"I'll go get him a glass of water."

Once Chiaki leaves the room, Gundham and Sonia help you move to sit on the bed and Kazuichi stays sitting on the floor. When she gets back, you take the glass and down half of the water before clearing your throat and starting.

"I feel like you deserve some backstory on this first..."

So you tell them about your dreams. You tell them pretty much everything.

"But this one... This nightmare... I watched G-Gundham... Die..."

Next to you, he gasps and he grabs one of your hands.

"Hajime-"

"I've had the same nightmare once before but... I woke up before... I didn't see it..."

"Well, Gundham is okay, obviously." Kazuichi snorts. "But man... These dreams... I been havin' em like that too..."

"As have I..."

"Me too..."

All of you? Seriously? What the hell...

Gundham pulls you close again and kisses your forehead. Sonia moves to sit next to you and leans on your other shoulder while Chiaki hugs you all from behind and Kazuichi practically lays himself across your laps.

This makes you feel better. Way better. You love your friends.

In the morning, you wake up uh... In Gundham's arms. He's awake, but seemed to be staying by your side.

"Good morning." He says softly.

"Where's everyone else? What time is it...?"

"Almost 6:30. Also, you got a text from Dave. I didn't mean to read it, but really a good thing I did. They're landing at 8."

"Ah. Damn." You cover your mouth as you yawn then sit up with Gundham. "Why'd you stay in here...?"

"Well, you looked like you were having another bad dream, so..."

"Oh... Thanks..." You lean over and press a gentle kiss to his cheek and feel his face slightly heat up.

"W-well, um. Izuru said you and I should get dressed as soon as you wake up. Everyone else is dressed already so..."

"'Kay."

You both get up and while he goes to his bag, you go to your closet and dig a t-shirt and some jeans out.

"S-sorry, I'm not comfortable changing in front of people, so... I'll go change in the bathroom..."

Gundham leaves the room and you quickly change then head downstairs to join the others. They're all in the kitchen. Kazuichi and Sonia made breakfast, but it seems like everyone was waiting to eat until you and Gundham came down.

Kazuichi is wearing a white t-shirt with the words t-shirt written on it in Japanese. That's funny, you should get one... Sonia is wearing a pair of shorts and a really cute blue button up shirt, and Chiaki is wearing a pink skirt and a white button up shirt. Izuru is still in his pajamas...?

"Good morning, Hajime!" Sonia greets you with a smile. "How did you sleep...?"

"Pretty good. Thanks for talking to me after I had that nightmare, by the way. I definitely slept better after that."

"Still having those nightmares?" Izuru asks.

"Yeah..."

"We should probably take you to a therapist or something..."

"Sorry if I kept anyone waiting."

You turn to see Gundham walk in wearing a red flannel and black jeans. He isn't wearing his scarf, but his hair is long enough for him to put it into a small ponytail-WHICH HE FUCKING DID-and he's still got those wraps around his left hand. He's really hot, you might be drooling.

"Get yourself together, Hajime. You look like you're about to drool." Izuru laughed.

You blink a few times then realize you're just staring at Gundham and you should probably stop.

"Sorry." You mutter and turn away.

Chiaki's older brother showed up a few minutes later and it turns out that he's really good friends with Izuru. He ended up stealing some food off of Chiaki's plate and Izuru's plate. After breakfast, you guys piled into the vehicles and were on the way to the airport.

Sonia sat in the passenger seat and you and Gundham sat in the back. Your phone started buzzing with messages from the group chat, but since neither Dave nor Keith joined in, you didn't either.

You arrived at the airport at exactly 8:00 and all of you rushed in. You were there for ten minutes before...

"HAJIME!" Two very familiar voices cried.

"Dave! Keith!" You gasp and turn to face them.

They run at you and wrap you up in a little group hug and you all laugh.

"I missed you guys so much!"

"We missed you too man!"

"Okay, okay!" You all let each other go and you turn to your other friends. "Everyone, this is Dave and Keith! Guys, this is Kazuichi, Chiaki, Sonia, and Gundham."

"Okay wow, he is hot." Keith said.

"K-Keith!" You hit his arm.

Gundham is now blushing with no scarf to hide behind and you're embarrassed.

"Izuru, hey." You hear Dave's older brother say.

"Hey Dirk." They fist bump and do that weird nod thing.

When you've all piled back into the vehicles, Sonia stayed riding with you, Gundham and Izuru and Dave also rode with you guys, while Dirk and Keith rode with Al, Chiaki, and the others.

It was decided that Dirk, Dave, and Keith would crash at your house for the night since their hotel screwed up and now their room won't be available until tomorrow.

"...M-might I be able to spend another night as well...?" Sonia asked. "I rather enjoy the company others. It's better than being alone in my apartment..."

"Hajime?" Izuru glanced back at you.

"I don't mind. I'm actually not comfortable knowing she lives alone. I'm always worried."

Gundham lightly tapped your leg and you could tell that he was pretty much asking the same thing.

"Izuru, is it okay if Gundham spends the night too?"

"Yeah. But... As soon as we get back I want him to go feed his hamsters. Or even bring them over if he wants. I know how much he adores his hamsters."

Your phone buzzed so you took it out to see that it was the group chat, more specifically, Keith. So you unlocked your phone and joined as well.

_residentboomerang joined the chat_

_turntechgodhead joined the chat_

_koreanemo: oh my fuck_

_koreanemo: hajime oh my god_

_residentboomerang: ????_

_turntechgodhead: keith r u okay lmao_

_koreanemo: k,,, kazuichi is rly,,, cute,,_

Beside you, Gundham chuckled. He must be reading the group chat over your shoulder.

_residentboomerang: hey, i tried to warn u._

_residentboomerang: hes a big puppy tho. ask sonia and im sure she'll spill the tea lmao_

_turntechgodhead: I WANT THE TEA OMG CAN I ASK NOW?????_

_residentboomerang: sure??_

_turntechgodhead: BRB OMGG_

"Yo, Sonia?" Dave suddenly spoke.

"Ah, yes, Dave?"

"Hajime says Kazuichi is like a big puppy. Is that true?"

"Yes! Oh, he's adorable! He's a mechanic and gets very excited when there's something he can take apart and reassemble. And, like Gundham, he gets excited when he sees small animals." Sonia giggled. "Kazuichi is... Actually the one who created our friend group. He and I would talk, yes. We would talk to Chiaki as well. But before Hajime showed up, Gundham hardly spoke a word in class. Only when badgered by Kazuichi to speak, he would say something. As much as we all love Hajime, I feel as if... Had Kazuichi not been there, the five of us would not be close at all. Do you agree, Hajime?"

"Yep. If not for Kazuichi, I probably would have never spoken to any of you. Especially Gundham. He intimidated me."

"I meant to... I didn't want to be close to anyone. Especially you because... Well... You know."

You nodded and pat his leg. You knew very well why. The exact same reason you were reluctant to get close to him.

The dreams... The nightmares.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything is going fine until Wednesday afternoon. You're sitting on the couch with Gundham and Sonia. They're both leaning on you, while Dave and Keith are sitting on the floor. Suddenly there's shouting and now someone is knocking on the door and everyone moves so you can answer it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here yall go

When you walk into Gundham's room with him, he asks you to disconnect the hamster tunnels from the cage while he gets himself some more clothes. You do, and when you turn back around, Gundham actually has a much bigger bag and is stuffing clothes into it.

"Gundham...?" You softly call to him.

"Yes?"

"Is everything okay?"

He shakes his head, but doesn't seem to want to talk about it. You walk over to him and gently grab one of his hands.

"You can talk to me if there's something wrong."

"I know, I just..."

"It's okay. You don't have to if you're not ready."

He nods and leans over to peck your cheek.

"Thank you." He whispers.

Once you get back to your house with his hamsters and some other things, Kazuichi and Chiaki are still there, waiting to tell you guys bye.

Chiaki walks up and gives you both kisses on the cheek then smiles at you while Kazuichi just grins and waves. They leave with Al, but your house is still pretty full.

"Sonia's gonna stay over a few days." Izuru says. "So is Gundham, I guess."

You shrug.

"Keith said he'd come with me to bring Sonia collect some things at her apartment. Show Dave and Dirk around after you get the hamsters settled, kay?"

"Okay."

You and Gundham exchange items and you bring his bag up to your room while Gundham sets the hamsters cage up in the living room. Eyepatch runs downstairs while you're walking up.

"Kitty!" You hear Dave gasp. "She's so cute!"

When you go back downstairs, you see Gundham scowl at his phone and drop it face down on the table.

"Gundham, homie, you okay?" Dave asks.

"Ah... Um, yes."

Dave looks over at you and you shake your head. Once Gundham has set the hamsters up, he goes over to you and just... Hugs you. He puts his head on your shoulder and sniffles.

"Gundham, what happened?" You ask, more firmly this time.

He shakes his head again.

"Gundham... Okay, just... Sit on the couch for a bit, okay? Eyepatch will join you."

He nods and reluctantly lets you go then moves to sit on the couch. Eyepatch does leave Dave to join Gundham.

Dave's brother is in the kitchen, probably eating, and you decide not to bother him and just show Dave around instead. There's the extra room at the end of the hall that Izuru decided to set Dirk up in, Keith and Dave would be staying in your room.

Once you finished showing him around, you left Dave in your room and went to join Gundham on the couch. He had his eyes closed and he was scratching the top of Eyepatch's head.

"Hey." You say.

He opens his eyes to look at yoy and he sighs.

"My mom texted me earlier." He mutters. "Says she saw me and you through the window... She isn't very fond of what she saw and told me to stay out of the house for... Like... A long time..."

"Gundham-"

"I know! I know, I should have told you earlier but... I... I didn't know how-"

"No, it's okay. Let's talk to Izuru when he gets home. I'm sure he won't mind you practically moving in."

He nods and leans his head on your shoulder. Today has been quite the day so far.

When Izuru does get back, he has McDonald's. Just a fuckton of fries and nuggets. Gundham himself pulls Izuru to the side to tell him about his situation, and you can tell what the outcome was when they both got back into the kitchen. Gundham will be living with you until his mom says otherwise. Keith and Dave are enjoying themselves and Keith is still hung up on how cute Kazuichi is.

"I don't get it! How can he be that cute?! It's not fair." He pouts.

"Dude, aren't you dating Lance?" You ask.

"...Yes, but he told me I can look at cute guys. There's a lot of them."

You all laugh and Sonia suddenly gasps.

"Oh, Eyepatch rubbed against my leg. She spooked me."

It's an uneventful night. Sonia sleeps in your bed while you and the others sleep on your floor. You'd never known a floor could be so comfortable before now.

In the morning, Sonia and Gundham make breakfast after you all get dressed for school. You do a double take when Izuru comes downstairs with his hair in a braid instead of just a ponytail or down. It's a good look for him.

"Looking good, Izuru." You say. "The braid is a nice touch."

"You think? I got tired of my hair getting in the way at work. I might just braid it from now on."

"Who... Braided it?" Dave asks.

"Dirk."

You all nod as if that's totally normal and go back to what you were doing before. Eyepatch is sitting on Keith's lap, Dave is sitting across from you at the table, and Sonia and Gundham are at the stove cooking still. At some point, they break off to do different tasks, and it seems that Gundham is now working on making lunch for the three of you.

Your phone buzzes with a text from Kazuichi.

_kazzy: ey, chiaki wanted to know if its ok for us to head over to your place to walk to school with you guys_

_yea, sure._

_kazzy: thank_

You put your phone down and wait.

After breakfast, there's a knock on the door and your other two friends just barge in. Everyone is all smiles, it's nice.

While you walk to school, Gundham tells the others of his situation.

"Dude, what? Your mom sucks." Kazuichi scoffs. "So you're gonna stay with Hajime for awhile too?"

"Yes. Though... Perhaps I should call my father... Maybe he can help me."

"You... Hate your dad?" You say questioningly. "Or at least dislike him in some way."

"I know! But... I want to feel like... One of my parents still loves me..."

You frown and pull him close to you and kiss his cheek.

That day at school is normal. Teruteru and Mikan move closer to talk with you guys today, and they ask how everything is going.

"Well, my friends from America are here on a break right now." You tell them.

"O-oh! That must be so exciting!" Mikan smiles. "You must have- m-must have missed them a lot."

"Yeah, I did. It's nice to see them again."

"Maybe I can cook for 'em sometime? How long they gonna be here?" Teruteru asks.

"Probably all week. Uh... I'll see with my brother about having some more guests sometime this week."

"Oh yeah! Hajime, Keith is precious." Kazuichi says. "He was worried you weren't telling him and Dave everything that was goin' on so he asked me and Chiaki how you were settlin' in! He's a good friend."

You smile and look at Gundham, who had read the messages between you, Dave, and Keith. He chuckles.

When you get home that day, Keith and Dave are already there to hang out and Sonia is excited to see them again.

Gundham calls his dad to see if the man still wants to be involved in his life. They set up a date and Gundham asks if you would go with him since he's nervous. You agree.

Everything is going fine until Wednesday afternoon. You're sitting on the couch with Gundham and Sonia. They're both leaning on you, while Dave and Keith are sitting on the floor. Suddenly there's shouting and now someone is knocking on the door and everyone moves so you can answer it.

You open the door and there's Peko Pekoyama, with a bloody Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu in her arms.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The door flies open while you're cleaning the blood off of his face, and Sonia is applying pressure to the bullet wound on his stomach. 
> 
> "I can't believe I'm doing this. And for a member of the Kuzuryuu Clan, no less." A woman hisses. "But I guess it would be bad to let a kid die. Have you kids applied any disinfectant yet?" 
> 
> "No." You shake your head. "We've mostly just been cleaning off the blood."
> 
> "Good. Good. And you, young girl, smart. Applying pressure to the bullet wound. Maybe your friends are useful after all, Gundham." 
> 
> He winces and you move to the side as the woman takes your place. 
> 
> "My name is Ayako Tanaka. I'm Gundham's mother."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This,,, does still need a new title lmao  
> But we meet a new character this chapter and uh,,, yeah,,,,
> 
> My life has been goin weird lately yo, two of my dogs r having seizures and now im taking care of a kitten????? And another of my dogs is constantly high now bc we have to give her doggy medicine that has the devils lettuce in it bc it helps with her joint pain lmao shits wild folks   
> Anyways enjoy the chapter

"Holy shit." You say.

"Hajime, please..." Peko begs, "Take him im. Get him help, but be discreet! I must get back. I'm so sorry to be dragging you into this, but-"

"No no, it's okay. Dave, come help me!"

Dave gets up and rushes over, gasping when he sees Peko and Fuyuhiko.

"Everyone clear the couch, now! Go on Peko, we've got this." You tell her.

She nods and looks at Fuyuhiko once more before running off. As you and Dave move towards the couch, Keith shuts the door. Sonia runs upstairs, possibly to get towels, and Gundham is staring in horror.

Fuyuhiko has a gash across his right eye and a bullet wound in his arm and his stomach. The couch is gonna have to get either deep cleaned or replaced.

"Wh-what can I do...?" Gundham asks.

"I-I'm sorry but... Can you get your mom? I know you aren't on best terms and she isn't exactly a doctor, but it's as discreet as we can get."

He freezes for a moment then nods and rushes outside. You just hope his mom will come to help. Sonia comes back with the towels, but its a bin of wet towels. That's good.

"Get me some scissors. I'll need to cut his shirt off. There's some in the kitchen. They're on the counter."

"I'll get em." Keith rushes into the kitchen.

As soon as the scissors are placed in your hand, you cut the sleeve where Fuyuhiko got shot, then you ignore the buttons of his shirt and cut that too.

The door flies open while you're cleaning the blood off of his face, and Sonia is applying pressure to the bullet wound on his stomach.

"I can't believe I'm doing this. And for a member of the Kuzuryuu Clan, no less." A woman hisses. "But I guess it would be bad to let a kid die. Have you kids applied any disinfectant yet?"

"No." You shake your head. "We've mostly just been cleaning off the blood."

"Good. Good. And you, young girl, smart. Applying pressure to the bullet wound. Maybe your friends are useful after all, Gundham."

He winces and you move to the side as the woman takes your place.

"My name is Ayako Tanaka. I'm Gundham's mother." She huffs, taking supplies out of the bag she brought with her.

Her hair is jet black and her eyes are the same color as Gundham's. She's really pretty.

"Girl, what's your name?" She glances at Sonia.

"S-Sonia Nevermind."

"Sonia. Well Sonia, I'll need your help. I don't want any of these boys near me, so..."

"What can I do to help, ma'am?" She asks.

"We've gotta see if the. Bullets went all the way through or not. I'll have to pull em out if they if they're still there."

"Well, I'm pretty sure there's still a bullet in his stomach. I didn't see a hole in the back of his shirt when Hajime moved it..."

"Who's Hajime?"

"Me, ma'am." You take a step forward.

"Oh... You. Well, Hajime. Did it go all the way through?"

"Not his stomach. But the one on his arm did. It pretty much just took a chunk out of his arm."

"That wound on his eye looks like a knife wound... Must have been an attack from another clan."

She makes you, Keith, and Dave leave the room and keeps Gundham and Sonia in the living room to help her.

You should text Izuru.

_hey, whatever you do, dont freak out when u get home_

_zuru: why would i freak out_

_just... dont freak out_

You leave it at that and ignore other texts from him. Then your group chat is active.

_turntechgodhead joined the chat_

_turntechgodhead: hajime that lady is Gundham's mom?_

_residentboomerang joined the chat_

_residentboomerang: ig man. I never met her._

_koreanemo joined the chat_

_koreanemo: shes scary_

_tentacletherapist joined the chat_

_arseniccatnip joined the chat_

_ectobiologist joined the chat_

_arseniccatnip: whats goin on guys?_

_tentacletherapist: yeah, you guys seem worried?_

_residentboomerang: y'all remember the yakuza members right_

_arseniccatnip: yes??_

_residentboomerang: WELL one of them is on my living room couch rn currently being tended to buy gundhams mom. said member was brought to my house by another member and sonia and i were doing our best to get him cleaned up n shit_

_turntechgodhead: and now Gundham's mom is here and shes scary as hell._

_gardengnostic joined the chat_

_gardengnostic: oh no! Is the guy okay? what condition is he in?_

_koreanemo: 2 bullet wounds and a knife wound. poor guy._

_residentboomerang: i feel bad and i really wanna ask him what happened but hes unconscious. im worried. hes a rly nice guy_

_koreanemo: do u think kaz has that silver haired girls number??_

_residentboomerang: probaby, but she was in a hurry i doubt she'll check her phone_

_koreanemo: right..._

"Hajime!" Gundham calls out.

_residentboomerang left the chat_

You put your phone down and rush into the living room.

"He can't stay on the couch." His mom tells you. "Is there an extra room?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good. Bring him there."

You nod and go pick Fuyuhiko up, and he slightly stirs, but only long enough to mutter one word.

"Peko...?"

Of course he must be worried about her. The last thing he must fully remember is being by her side. You sigh and continue on your way.

You go back downstairs after leaving him with Gundham, Sonia, and Gundham's mom, assessing the damage to the couch. It's a lot.

"Hajime, your phone is ringing!"

You rush in to answer it.

"Hello?" You ask.

"This is Hajime Hinata, yes?"

"Peko!" You gasp. "Are you okay? What happened? Is Fuyuhiko's family okay?"

"I am fine. How is my young master?"

"I'm not really sure. Gundham, his mom, and Sonia are tending to him still."

"I see. How were his wounds?"

"They were pretty bad. The one on his arm was the least serious, I think."

"His stomach?"

"I'm... I'm not sure, sorry."

"I see. I must help his mother get things settled, so I will not be able to come by to visit. I am tasking you with telling my young master of his sister and father's passing."

"What?! Peko-"

Then the line went dead. You groan and slap your hand to your forehead.

"What?" Keith asks.

"She has, and I quote, 'tasked me with telling him of his sister and father's passing'. How am I supposed to tell him that?!"

"Holy shit."

"I'm not close with him. We aren't even exactly friends!"

"But that Peko girl must trust you a lot to even bring him here. This must have been her go-to place." Dave shrugs. "Think about it."

"But why does she trust me so much? We barely know each other..."


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The room goes quiet. You only told Dave and Keith. You're nervous, it's as if your throat has gone dry, and you feel tears welling up in your eyes. Confusion rises as well, because you didn't know his family, you hardly know him. He was brought to your house bruised and bloody just yesterday, and before now, you'd only spoken to him once before. The amount of people in the room is making you want to scream and you need everyone to get out. Or you need to get out. But you know you can't, you need to tell Fuyuhiko that his little sister and his father are dead, but how? How do you do that? How do you tell someone that half of their family is dead? How did they manage to tell you that? How can you receive this news and then have to pass it on to a child. The child who just lost their family?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to post this like monday lmao i kept getting distracted by fire emblem characters

Fuyuhiko woke up late the next night.

You were worried and hadn't really left his side since you got home from school. Gundham seemed jealous, but he gave you space.

Peko hadn't been at school that day, and your classmates were rightfully worried. The only one who really seemed to know what was up was Ibuki. She seemed to be the closest to them out of everyone in class, so maybe Peko called her?

Anyways... Your friends were worried as well, and Izuru said they could spend the night if they wanted and if their parents let. He must have already contacted Dirk, because Dave and Keith were at your house when you got home. Kazuichi and Chiaki would ask their parents then head to your house if they said yes.

You were in the guest room with Fuyuhiko when they showed up. You looked up at the door as they walked in.

"Hey..." Kazuichi softly smiled.

"How is he?" Chiaki asked.

"Well... He seems fine. Gundham's mom will be coming by in a bit to check on him." You sigh.

"Gundham's mom...?" Kazuichi scowls. "Isn't she like-"

"Yeah. But she's what we've got, so..."

"You gotta make do... I get it. Did you guys get a new couch?"

"Yes. Uh, Fuyuhiko bled all over the other one, so..."

They both laugh then go back to join the others. The visit from Gundham's mom is uneventful.

Gundham is in the room with you when Fuyuhiko wakes up.

You're sitting in the chair by the bed and Gundham is on the floor with his head in your lap.

"Peko?!" Fuyuhiko suddenly shoots up, looking around frantically. "Where is she?!"

"Whoa, Fuyuhiko, calm down!" You tell him, standing up after Gundham moves. "You're okay. Peko is okay too."

"... Hajime...?" He asks.

He seems to calm down, giving you a confused look.

"Why am I... Why am I at your house? I'm not in a hospital? Why? God, I'm so hungry."

You chuckle and sit on the bed next to him.

"Gundham, can you ask Sonia to cook something for him please?"

"Course. Should I get my mom here too?"

"If you don't mind."

He nods and leaves the room, leaving your with Fuyuhiko.

"Peko brought you here just yesterday. Seemed to think you were safest here. Sonia and I cleaned you up while we waited for Gundham's mom. She patched you up and pulled that bullet out of your stomach." You explain. "She's not the most pleasant person to deal with, though. Peko said to be discreet, which is why we kept you here. My brother wasn't pleased that you bled all over the couch, though."

"What's up with my right eye?"

"Uh... Knife. The eye itself is still there but... You won't be able to see out of it. You should sit back."

"Do you know if my family is safe?" My sister, dad, mom?"

"I'll let you eat, then we can talk some more."

"... Okay..."

Chiaki and Kazuichi rush in, both delighted that Fuyuhiko is awake.

"Fuyuhiko!" Kazuichi grins, "Dude, you're awake!"

"I'm glad you're okay." Chiaki smiles. "Our classmates are worried about you."

"I didn't mean to worry anyone..." He mutters.

Dave and Keith enter as well, though they're hesitant.

"Fuyuhiko, this is Dave and Keith, my friends from America. They also helped when Peko brought you here yesterday. And they've been worried about you too."

"But you don't even know me..."

"No, but... Hajime told us about you. That one time you and Peko walked him home, to keep him safe or somethin'. We're grateful for that." Dave tells him.

"Who knows what could have happened to Hajime if you weren't worried. Thanks."

"Oh... Uh... Yeah, no problem..."

"Okay everyone, make way!" Sonia's voice hums.

You turn to see that she has a bowl of chicken soup and a glass of water in her hands.

"Oh, food!"

She giggles as she hands Fuyuhiko the bowl and places the glass of water on the headboard.

"I made an entire pot of soup, so you can have more if you are still hungry after."

He nods and just... Devours the soup. When he's done, he downs the whole glass of water.

"Okay, before I eat anymore..." He clears his throat. "Hajime, tell me how my family is."

The room goes quiet. You only told Dave and Keith. You're nervous, it's as if your throat has gone dry, and you feel tears welling up in your eyes. Confusion rises as well, because you didn't know his family, you hardly know him. He was brought to your house bruised and bloody just yesterday, and before now, you'd only spoken to him once before. The amount of people in the room is making you want to scream and you need everyone to get out. Or you need to get out. But you know you can't, you need to tell Fuyuhiko that his little sister and his father are dead, but how? How do you do that? How do you tell someone that half of their family is dead? How did they manage to tell you that? How can you receive this news and then have to pass it on to a child. The child who just lost their family?

Now it's too late, you're crying, and it's over people you never knew and someone you hardly know.

"I'm sorry..." You choke out. "I'm so sorry!"

Sonia gasps and turns to face Fuyuhiko, who is now staring at you in shock.

"What... Hajime, why are you... Why the fuck are you crying?!"

"I'm sorry! I don't know- H-how do you tell someone...?"

You see Sonia get up and herd everyone out of the room, taking the bowl and glass with, and closing the door behind herself.

"What fucking happened." Fuyuhiko demands.

"I don't-don-t know... P-Peko didn't tell me everything..."

"Then tell me what she told you."

So you do. You start with his dad. His dad is dead. There's just no way to sugar-coat this, and after you tell him about his dad everything else comes out. You cry harder when you tell him about his sister. It hurts to pass on this news. Do people always feel like this?

"Wh-what about my-my mom...?" He asks through tears.

"She's okay. Peko is with her... I'm sorry... Peko didn't tell me much-"

"Phone."

"Sorry, it's downstairs-"

"Then I'm using your phone in the morning to call Peko."

"Okay."

"Shit..." He mutters. "Shit man... Why'd we have to be involved in this..."

You stare at him for a moment before sitting on the floor by the bed.

"It's hard, I know."

"How the fuck do you know?"

"I'm here because my parents died. They were shot. I didn't like them, really. But losing them was still tough. I thought I'd be put into foster care, til I was told I had a brother. It was scary for awhile. It's still scary. I kinda miss them sometimes." You shrug. "I can help you through this. We all can. Losing someone is tough, and you shouldn't go through it alone."

He slowly nods and lays down.

"Dammit, man... I... It should have been me, not her!"

After he cries for a while longer, he asks if someone can stay with him in the guest room that night. You go downstairs to ask and Chiaki volunteers. When no one objects, she goes upstairs to change into her pajamas then heads to the room Fuyuhiko is in.

The rest of you go to your room, letting Sonia have your bed while the rest of you lay on the floor.

None of you get much sleep that night.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> School is somewhat normal again, Peko is back. She switches seats with Hiyoko for the day so she can sit next to you guys and ask how Fuyuhiko is adjusting to being at your house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mmmmm sorry short chapter ive been very distracted with playin five emblem three houses

In the morning, Fuyuhiko used your phone to call Peko and he talked with her until you have to leave for school. You really don't want to leave him with Keith and Dave, not that you don't trust them, but... Dave could really get on Fuyuhiko's bad side. 

School is somewhat normal again, Peko is back. She switches seats with Hiyoko for the day so she can sit next to you guys and ask how Fuyuhiko is adjusting to being at your house. 

"The house is kinda full, not gonna lie." You chuckle. "But it's nice. I'm used to a quiet and mostly empty house. I'm still getting used to having so many friends around, but Fuyuhiko is... A nice addition. Do you want to come see him this afternoon?"

"Ah... Are you sure...?" 

"Of course! And then I can trust you to walk me back to my apartment, right?" Sonia asked her. 

"O-of course! If my young master wishes it, I shall keep you safe." 

"You know, Fuyuhiko's favorite part of staying with me is my cat." You say. 

"You have a cat..?" 

"Yep!" 

She walks with you all to your house. Fuyuhiko is on the couch with Keith and Dave when you walk in.

"Peko!" He gasps and sits up. 

And Peko can't seem to hold herself back. She runs forward to hug him. 

"Young master!" 

"No, no- whatever... It's good to see you!" 

He's hugging her back, obviously happy and obviously so in love, because you know that look. See on Dave's face when talking about Karkat, on Chiaki's face at the mention of video games. Seen when Makoto even catches a glimpse of Kyoko, seen on Gundham's face when he looks at you and the same when you look at him. 

"I've missed you..." Peko mutters. 

"Y-yeah, yeah... Are you doing okay? Is mom adjusting well?" 

"... No... Everything is terrible. But... Your mother would like to come see you one day." 

"Why can't I just go home? That would be easier!" 

"No. She told me that you must stay here until you are fully healed. Ah... If that is quite alright with Hajime and his brother?" 

"No, it's fine. Izuru won't mind." 

She nods and moves to sit on the couch next to him. Its quiet for awhile.

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me if i missed any tags ig. Kudos and comments are nice.


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